Kerf-cutting mining machine



May '19, 1942;

T. E. PRAY KERF-CUTTING MINING MACHINE Filed Oct. 25, 1940 4-Sheets-Sheet l May 19, 1942. AY 7 2,283,596 KERF-CUTTING MINING MACEINEFiled Oct. 2s, 194o 4 Sheets-Sheet s INVENTOR ATTORNEY Ma 1-9, 1942 RA2,283,696

KERE -GUTTING MINING MACHINE Filed Oct. 25, 1946 I 4 Sheets-SheetA IIIIIII IN van-r0 m h q rnas E.

I Arronucv Patented Ma 19, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE REEF-CUTTINGMINING MACHINE Thomas E. Pray, Chicago, Ill., assignor to GoodmanManufacturing Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of IllinoisApplication October 25, 1940, Serial No. 362,743

6 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in kerfcutting mining machines,and more particularly to track mounted machines adapted to cut and cleandirt bands from coal seams.

The principal object of my invention is to provide an improved andsimplified construction in which the overall height can be reduced to aminimum without sacrificing strength and adjustability required inmachines of the character described.

A machine of the present invention employs many of the features of themachine disclosed in my prior Patent No. 2,082,119, issued June 1,

1937, but affords a reduction in vertical height and increasedefiiciency of'operation' by a, rearrangement of the turntable mechanismfor swinging the cutter bar horizontally to make an arcu ate cut.

The invention may best be understood by reference to the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a machine constructed in accordance with myinvention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged vertical section of the front end of themachine, taken generally on the longitudinal center line thereof;

Figure 3 is a plan view of the part of the machine shown in Figure 2,with parts broken away to show certain details of construction;

Figure 4 is an enlarged detail section taken generally through thecutter bar and looking rearwardly toward the back of the machine;

Figure 5 is a detail section taken on line 55 of Figure 2;

Figure 6 is a detail section taken on line 6-6 chains l8 and I9 of theusual form are carried by the cutter bars l6 and I1, respectively.

The wheeled truck It] includes a relatively fiat base member 2| havingdepending front wheel supports 22, 22 with track wheels 23, 23 thereonand similar rear wheel supports with track wheels 25, 25 thereon. Thewheel supports on opposite sides of the frame are separated so as toleave a central space for a slack conveyer 26 extending longitudinallyof the machine beneath the base member 2| for carrying away the cuttingsdischarged from the cutter bars, as will hereinafter more fully appear.

tom of said base, as seen in Figure 2. 'A hori zontal arcuately-shapedgear member 28 is connected with the upper margin of the cylindricalmember 30 and surrounds the latter excepting at the front thereof wherethe upper part of said cylindrical member 30 is extended'forwardly toform a trough-like support 35. Said support has a bottom wall 36 with anelevated central porthan Figures 4 and 5;

Figure 7 is a detail section taken on line 1-1 of Figure 2; and

Figure 8 is a detail section taken on line 8-8 of Figure 3.

Referring now to details of the embodiment of my invention illustratedin the drawings, the machine generally comprises a wheeled truck 10adapted to travel on the mine floor and forming a base frame on which ismounted a pair of upright frame members l2, I2 spaced apart andsupporting between them a cutting element l3 including a frame I4, amotor l5 secured to the rear of said frame, and a turntable l l at thefront of said frame having a pair of parallel spaced horizontallydisposed cutter bars I6 and I1 mounted thereon for lateral swingingmovement across the front end of the machine. Cutter rests on anoutwardly tion 36a to which the rear ends of the cutter bars I G and I1are secured, as by bolts 3|, 3 I The sup port 35 also has upright sidewalls 31, 31 which extend rearwardly to merge with the curved rear wall38 of the cylindrical member 39. 'I'he'bottom wall 36, together with theadjacent sidewalls 31, 31, form in effect channels at opposite sides ofthe cutter bars l6 and I1, which channels ex tend to the opencylindrical portion of the member 30.

In the form shown herein, the gear member 28' is connected around theside walls 31, 31 and rear wall 38 of the cylindrical member 30 by twodepending flanges 39 and 39a. The inner flange 39 is curved downwardlyinto abutting engagement with the upperflmargins of the walls 31 and 38of the cylindrical member 30, while the flange 39a is formed in spacedrelation with the inner flange 39 and has an in-turned foot 39b whichprojecting ledge 390 formed integrally with the walls 31 and 38. Theflanged arrangement just generally tubular reinforcing member extendingaround the top of the cylindrical member 30 and described forms ineffect a' projecting forwardly therefrom to the front end of theprojecting support 35, as shown in Figure 3.

An extension chute 40 is telescopically mounted in one of the channelsbeneath one side of the lower cutter bar I1. As herein shown, said chuteis disposed on the left-hand channel since the cutter chains l8 and I9are usually driven in a counter-clockwise direction. Should the chainsbe driven in the opposite direction, the chute 46 would be disposed onthe right side of the cutter bars. The chute 40 has an extended uprightouter wall 4|, and is arranged to be extended forwardly into endwiseengagement with the mine wall beneath the kerf to catch the cuttings asthey are brought rearwardly by the cutter chains.

The front end of chute 46 is supported by a horizontal plate 42, whichextends laterally beneath the cutter bars I6 and IT and is secured'by anupright bolt 43 to a roller frame 44. Said roller frame is guided formovement along a longitudinal slot 45 formed centrally of said outterbars (see Figure 4). It has a pair of rollers 46, 46 on transverselydisposed stub shafts 41', 41 at opposite sides thereof, adapted to haverolling engagement between the upper and lower cutter bars. A pair ofrollers 48, 48 are also mounted on the upright bolt 43, above and belowthe roller frame 44 so as to have rolling engagement between the opposedinner sides of each of the cutter bars l6 and IT. A yoke 49 is mountedat the top of the bolt 43, with its ends in sliding enwardly around thecover plate 6|, and into a hopper 65, disposed beneath the forwardlyprojecting portion 61 of frame 14.

The cover plate 6| also has an upright inner bearing support 68detachably mounted thereon, which surrounds the shaft 66. The lattershaft has a cap 69 formed integral with its upper end extending intodriving engagement with a sleeve 10, which is journaled on suitable ballbearings for rotation about the upper end of the inner bearing support68. A pair of driving sprockets H and 12 are secured in spaced relationalong the sleeve 16 todrive the cutter chains l8 and gagement with theupper surface of the upper cutter bar l6. The roller support justdescribed supports the laterally offset front end of the chute when itis extended beyond the support of the turntable.

A horizontally extended shoe 50 is pivotally supported beneath thefrontend of chute and arranged to have sliding engagement with the workingface of the mine wall when the machine is in cutting position, asindicated in Figure 2.

Means are also provided for yieldably urging the chute forwardly andmaintaining it in engagement with the mine wall, comprising a cable 5|connected at one end to an abutment 52 at one side of the chute. Saidcable is trained over a sheave 53 mounted near the front of the support35 and thence rearwardly where it is connected to an elongated coilspring 54 in a housing 55 mounted along the side of the support 35, asshown in Figure 3. The spring 54 is normally under tension to maintainthe chute in yielding contact with the working face at varying degreesof penetration of the cutter bars.-

The cutter chains l8 and I9 are driven from the motor I5 on main framel4, as follows: An armature pinion 56 is meshed with a spur gear 56a ona longitudinal shaft 51. The latter shaft extends forwardly and has abevel pinion 58 keyed on its forward end. Said bevel pinion meshes witha bevel gear 59 keyed on an upright shaft 66. The bevel gears justmentioned are supported on suitable ball bearings in a bearing support61 forming part of the frame l4 but projecting forwardly beneath the'open cylindrical member 30. Said bearing support has a cover plate 6|secured thereto. An outer bearing support 62 projects upwardly from saidcover plate and extends into a bearing member 63 supported on ahorizontal web 64, projecting rearwardly from the front wall of thecylindrical member 36, as shown in Figure 2. The bearing member 63 hasaskirt .66 around its sides and rear so as to assist in directing thecuttings out- I9 ofcutter bars l6 and II, respectively.

With the construction just described, the cuttings from the kerf will becollected on chute 40 and brought rearwardly by the cutter chains,through the support 35, and discharged into the cylindrical member 36,where they will be dropped through the openings on opposite sides of thecover plate 61 into the hopper 65. The cutter chains can be driven atany position of adjustment of the turntable II relative to the frame [4.

The hopper 65 is arranged to discharge through bottom opening 15 intothe conveyor 26 mounted longitudinally beneath the main frame member 2|of the machine, as has been previously mentioned. This conveyer may beof any type, as herein shown consisting of a flight conveyer comprisinga pair of endless chains 16 having flights 11 carried therebetweenriding along and under a pan 18. The rear end of the conveyer can bearranged in any suitable manner for discharging thecuttings to the rearof the machine, as for instance as shown in my Patent No. 2,082,119,previously mentioned, in which the conveyer 26 discharges into a secondconveyer 19 mounted for lateral swinging and vertical elevating movementrelative to the first conveyer. The arrangement for final discharge ofthe conveyer 26 forms no part of the present invention so need not bedescribed in detail herein.

The gearing for raising and lowering the cutter mechanism I3 as a wholerelative to the base frame and for swinging the turntable, is disposedon the frame I4 of said cutting mechanism betweensaid turntable and themotor 15. The elevating mechanism disclosed herein is much the same asthat employed in my prior Patent No.. 2,082,119, excepting that in thepresent disclosure the upright frame members l2, 12, along which thecutting mechanism is vertically adjusted, are mounted directly on thebase frame If! instead of on a turntable.

In the form shown herein, a bevel pinion is fixed on the end of thearmature pinion, and is meshed with opposed bevel gears 8|, 82,rotatably mounted on transverse shaft 83 and forming part of a reversingmechanism of the usual form, including a clutch member 64 feathered onshaft 83 and selectively engageable with the bevel gears 8!, 82. Thebevel gear 8| has a gear 85 integral therewith which is meshed with agear 86 loosely mounted on a cross shaft 81. The bevel gear '82 has agear 88 integral therewith which is meshed with a gear 89 looselymounted on cross shaft 81. The gears 86 and 89 can be selectivelyengaged with cross shaft 81 to drive the latter in either direction bya'iclutch member 9!] feathered on theflatter shaft.

The cross shaft 81 has worms 9|, 9| at opposite ends thereof, meshingwith worm gears 92,

92 'on longitudinal shafts 93, 93 journaled in pro-:

2,283,696 jecting guide members 94, 94 at opposite sides by powerrelative to the upright frame members I2, I2, as desired.

The gearing for swinging the turntable I I and feeding the cutter barslaterally comprises a gear I mounted on transverse shaft 83, which, ashas been previously described, can be driven by the motor I in reversedirections. The gear I00 is meshed with gear IOI of a planetary gear Iclaim as'my invention: V f,

1. In a mining machine, a base frame having a plurality of widely spacedupright supports thereon, a frame vertically adjustable between saiduprightsupports, a turntable rotatably mounted at the forward end ofsaid frame and having an arcuate driving member around its rear end,power means on said frame engaged with said driving member for swingingsaid turntable reversely, and a horizontally projecting cutter barsupported on the front of said turntable in substantially the samehorizontal plane as said driving member.

reduction device indicated generally at I02. Said Y planetary is of thewell known multiple speed, frictionally controlled type often used inmining machine feeds, and need not be described in detail herein. Thedriven member I03 of said planetary is feathered on a transverse shaftI04 having a worm I05 thereon meshed with a worm gear I06, rotatablymounted in a bearing support I01 and surrounding an upright shaft I08.

The gear I00 may be selectively engaged with the shaft I08 by a slidingclutch member I09. The shaft I 08 has drive pinion II 0 fixed to itsupper end, which is meshed with the turntable gear 28. The gearingarrangement is such that the turntable I I can be swung in eitherdirection at a plurality of speeds, including a relatively slow feedingspeed, through the frictionally controlled planetary I02.

The machine as a whole may be transported and operated over the minetracks and the cutter bars can be fed by movement of the wheeled truckabove the tracks, effected either by the truck wheels 23 and 25 drivenfrom a motor III in the usual manner, not shown,'or by means of asuitable rope feed, not shown; or the cutter bars may be fed by swingingthe turntable so that said cutter bars effect an arcuate cut across thefront of the machine.

It will be observed that the arrangement whereby the upright framemembers I2, I 2 are mounted directly on the base frame I0, and thecutting mechanism I3 including the turntable II has vertical adjustmentas a Whole along said guide frames, affords an especially low-heightconstruction, because the turntable II is disposed generally in the samehorizontal planes as the frame It and is vertically adjustable with thelatter along the guide frames I2, instead of being interposed betweenthe guide frames and the base frame to support the latter, as inprevious constructions. Moreover, the arrangement whereby the turntabledrive gear 28 is of relatively large diameter and is disposed adjacentthe top of the machine in substantial alignment with the cutter bars, soas to reinforce the cutter bar support 35 and apply the turning movementdirectly to said cutter bars, affords an especially strong and efficientconstruction for machines of this type.

While I have herein shown and described one form in which my inventionmay be embodied, it will be understood that the construction thereof andthe arrangement of the various parts may be altered without departingfrom the spirit and scope thereof. Furthermore, I do not wish to beconstrued as limiting my invention to the specific embodimentillustrated, excepting as it may be limited in the appended claims.

2. In a mining machine, a wheeled truck having a base frame, and aplurality of widely spaced upright supports thereon, a supporting framevertically adjustable relative to said upright sup- 7 ports, ahorizontal turntable rotatably mounted on said supporting frame andhaving a centrally disposed cuttings discharge opening therein, a cutterbar having a cutter chain movable thereabout supported on said turntablewith said cutter chain so disposed as to deliver the cuttings to saidcuttings discharge opening, and conveyer means on said base framebeneath said cuttings discharge openingfor carrying the cuttingsrearward of said base frame.

3. In a mining machine, a wheeled truck, a conveyer extending along saidtruck, a plurality of widely spaced supports mounted on said truck, asupporting frame vertically adjustable between said supports, aturntable rotatably mounted on said supporting frame, and having acentrally disposed cuttings discharge opening therein communicating withsaid conveyer, and a radially extending trough in its peripherycommunicating with said discharge opening, and a chain carrying cutterbar supported in said trough with its rear end over said cuttingsdischarge opening.

4. In a mining machine, a wheeled truck, a conveyer extending along saidtruck, a plurality of widely spaced supports mounted on said truck, asupporting frame vertically adjustable between said supports, aturntable rotatably mounted on said supporting frame and having acentrally disposed opening therein forming a cuttings discharge passagecommunicating with said conveyer, a horizontally disposed cutter barsupported on said turntable and having a cutter chain movablethereabout, a sprocket for said cutter chain disposed coaxially withsaid turntable at the rear end of said cutter bar, and a motor on saidsupporting frame, and gearing supported on said supporting frame belowsaid turntable and extending upwardly through the latter, affordingoperative connection between said motor and said cutter chain sprocket.

5. In a mining machine, a wheeled truck, a conveyer extending along saidtruck, a plurality of widely spaced supports mounted on said truck, asupporting frame vertically adjustable between saidsupports, a turntablerotatably mounted on said supporting frame and having-a centrallydisposed opening therein forming a cuttings discharge passagecommunicating with said conveyer, a horizontally disposed cutter barsup-, ported on said turntable and having a cutter chain thereabout, asprocket for said cutter chain at the rear end of said cutter bardisposed coaxially with said turntable, a motor on said supportingframe, and drive connections between said motor and said cutter chainsprocket including gearing housed in a portion of said supporting framedisposed between said turntable and said conveyer.

horizontally disposed, chain-carrying cutter bar having its; rear endsupported in said trough and "having its chain drive sprocket mountedcoaxially of'said discharge opening so that the cuttings will dropdirectly upon said conveyer from the rear and sides of said drivesprocket.

' THOMAS E. PRAY.

